Everything's alright
by AngstDraggy
Summary: Hector had been with his family for months now. His music bringing joy and smiles to the Rivera's. To all, but one. Victoria remains distant no matter what Hector tries. He has to find a way to communicate to her. But not without digging up some old hurt from the past. (Rated M for mention of death and illness.)


Everything's Alright

 **Notes: First off, this is my first fanfiction. Please bare with me.  
Second, for this fanfiction I used a few theories that I really liked myself about Victoria together with some already confirmed information. So this fanfiction will mainly focus on the development of Victoria. I really enjoyed writing this and I hope you all enjoy this story. Perhaps in the future I'll write some more.**

 **!SPOILERS FOR THE STORY! (If you don't want the story to be spoiled read this part AFTER you read the story!)  
For the songs, I know none of the songs used in this story was written by Hector but I still thought these fit well in the story. Therefor I simply used them. The first one being "La Bikina" by Karol Sevilla which I translated in English. It's an actual song made for the movie Coco btw. The second song is "Everything's Alright" by Laura Shigihara from the game "To the Moon". When I heard this song I thought it was perfect for Victoria as I felt it explained what she was like and how she felt. And of course, Hector being the protective fatherly figure calms her.**

It was months after that fateful Dias de los Muertos. Miguel was sent home and a lot had happened since then. Thank God Miguel was able to somehow get Coco to remember her Papa before the Final Death took him. Never before had Imelda been this frightened. That night she kept crying and blaming herself. How could she let herself be consumed by sorrow and hate? What kind of monster prevented her own daughter of remembering and honoring her father? The answer was simple… Imelda did. She had already lost her husband once to the hands of Ernesto, yet thanks to her own doing she almost lost him again. And to her, it was too much to handle. She wouldn't allow to be apart from him any longer.

With that the choice was easily made, Hector was living with the rest of the Rivera family now. It took a while for not only Hector but everyone to get used to the new situation. Besides the fact that hardly anyone knew Hector, it was strange to hear music echoing through the house for the first time. Imelda quickly found herself humming, tapping and even singing to Hectors tunes. Soon after Rosita and Julio followed. Being raised without the ban they both had missed music badly. The twins couldn't be happier to see their sister like this again. It was just like when she was young and madly in love. But the first day Hector moved in they made sure to first have a stern talk with the musician. They made sure Hector understood very clearly that if he ran off again or hurt their sister in any way he would come to regret it. Hector had ensured them that he would rather die than to hurt the love of his life again. That joke wasn't really well placed.

As the days passed Hector found himself taking care of the house while everyone was working in the shop. Either that, or he would accompany them with his guitar. He would set himself on a chair in the corner of the shop and played simple tunes, worked on a new song (which he hadn't done in decades) or just sang a familiar one depending on the mood. Everyone seemed to really enjoy his company as much as he did. Especially his music was welcomed.

Still, there was one person who remained a mystery. Victoria hadn't said a word to him since the day he moved in, nor had she reacted to his music at all. She was quite around him, didn't even make eye contact. And when she did it was usually with an icy look that reminded Hector of Imelda when she was on a rampage. With the only exception that Victoria was the calm for the storm. It was pretty scary from time to time. Still Hector really much wanted to get to know her. She was his granddaughter after all. It frustrated him to the core of his bones that she ignored him completely when he spoke to her. Or worse, when they were the only ones in the room she would even get up and leave, without saying a word or even looking at him. If he even had a gut, he absolutely felt a knot in it. It saddened him. Would his granddaughter actually hate him that much?

One morning Hector had made another attempt to communicate with Victoria over breakfast. He hoped that with the rest of the family present she might feel more comfortable talking to him. He kept asking questions and talking, trying to make her laugh with some jokes. Again, it was no different than his previous attempts. She kept silent, eyes on her plate. After she finished her breakfast Victoria simply put her dishes away and went straight to the workshop. The rest of the family repeating her actions. Hector had failed again. He couldn't help but give a defeated groan as he let his head hit the table. Why was this so difficult?

"It won't work you know" Imelda said as she sat down next to him.

Hector sighed, his head still on the table.  
"I don't know what you're talking about".

He heard Imelda chuckle. Clearly she knew he was lying. It was no use, she could read him like a book. So why was he even foolish enough to try. Then again, this whole situation irritated him enough to lie in the first place.

"Hector, your charm doesn't work on all women." Imelda said with a calm voice. How could she be so calm? Didn't she think Victoria was acting weird?

Hector finally decided to lift himself off the table and look at his wife. She spend many years with their granddaughter already. Maybe she knew something he simply didn't see.

"This whole thing is so frustrating. I know I've been patient for the past few months." Hector paused and laughed to himself. "But now I'm just wondering what I'm doing wrong here."  
He then turned to Imelda who was still sipping her coffee.

"Mi amor, is there something I should know?" He dared to ask her.

Imelda blinked and turned to him. She had this look on her face as if she braced herself for a heavy conversation. Hector could feel the mood changing. He was sure of it, this was it. Here she would point out all of his flaws. Imelda inhaled deeply, taking her husband's hand before speaking.

"There is a lot about Victoria you don't know" Imelda started "She is difficult for any outsider to understand". Hector looked at her with confusion. For a second he thought he saw sadness in her eyes.

"I-I'm an… outsider?" He stumbled.

Instantly Imelda's expression changed, regretting her poor choice of words.

"No not like that!" She blurted out, her hands moving in a manner as if to physically stop him from thinking that.

"I mean… You just met Victoria recently and-"

"-And I haven't been able to have a single conversation with her!"  
Hector finished her sentence without realizing he actually said it. He wiggled his hand out of hers and let himself fall back in the chair, rubbing his face with the same hand. He sighed before speaking again.

"Imelda? Am I… Am I doing something wrong?"

Imelda looked at her husband, taking a few seconds to reply to him.

"It isn't you, Hector. That's just who she is." She shifted in her chair so she could look directly at Hector. He met her gaze in return.

Imelda opened her mouth to speak again, hesitant to tell him. She wasn't sure if she should. But then again, what Victoria didn't know wouldn't hurt her and Hector needed to know about his granddaughter.

"Victoria is special." She started. "I know it doesn't seem like it but, since she was a little girl Victoria was withdrawn, quiet and shy. She has always remained that way."

Hector raised a brow at that, though Imelda chose to ignore this gesture and continued her story.

"I will save you the details. But life wasn't kind to her. She never had any friends, nor did she wish to have much contact with others. She would curl up in the window with her books and preferred to be left alone. Her family was her only safe haven. The only ones she could trust."

Hector let Imelda's words sink in. Suddenly it hit him like a bomb. Victoria was scared. She didn't trust him because he left his family when still alive. She didn't see him as family. Which isn't too strange cause he wasn't there when she was born. But still, Hector was shocked. He certainly wasn't expecting something like this. His mind was racing, memories and thoughts of guild about leaving his family coming back to him. It was all his fault, it still is no matter how many times he would apologize or how often anyone would forgive him. It was undeniable he should've been there when Coco grew up, got married, gave birth to her daughters. Yet he wasn't. All because of his foolishness. His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a hand on his shoulder blade. It was calming and soothing. That moment he noticed how much he was shaking. He looked up only to meet his wife's worried eyes.

Hector swallowed. "H-how… do I get… to her." He asked with a still trembling voice. His eyes looked pleading to Imelda.

"To be honest Hector, Victoria wasn't that much older then you when she died. And you are still her family too. I'm sure you will find a way to connect with her. You just have to be creative, which I'm sure shouldn't be a problem for you."

She was right, he was creative. All the endless attempts to cross the bridge to get to Coco. He did things others thought were genius if not insane.

"But…" Imelda continued "Don't forget she grew up with the music ban. She was born without music and never had any kind of contact with it."

She started to clean the table, getting ready to do the dishes. Hector stood up to help her like they did when they were still alive. It brought back good memories. They stood there doing the dishes in silence for a while until Hectors mind thought of something. He just couldn't help but wonder. Should he ask Imelda about it? After a few minutes passed he decided to just go for it.

"Mi amor?"

"hmm?" Imelda didn't look at him.

"Excuse me for asking but… how did Victoria die?" he carefully asked.

Apparently not careful enough as Imelda dropped the mug she was holding instantly. Her eyes widened. She wasn't sure if she was going too far if she told Hector. But he already knew so much, why would she keep this story from him.

She picked up the mug again to clean it, at least then she had a good reason to not look directly at him when she told the story.

"She joined me 2 years after I died. Illness robber her from her life. But it was easily treatable. At least that's what the doctors told Julio and Coco in the land of the living. No need to say, we were all devastated to see her go at such a young age. She never told us exactly any details though. We think she feels ashamed that she died so young while it was preventable. Rosita told me that after I passed Victoria took on full responsibility of everything. The house, the shop, the family, she did it all alone. While I was gone our family saw Victoria overwork herself to the point she no longer could. So one day, without warning, she just collapsed and didn't wake up."

Both of the couple had unconsciously stopped at their task. Imelda looking down at her hands, trying to get it together and hold back the tears that were stinging at the back of her eyes. Hector could only put an arm around his love. He didn't say a word. Victoria clearly meant just as much to Imelda as Coco did. And he could definitely see now how Victoria was difficult to handle in a way. Hector couldn't help but feel hurt. His mija, his little girl, she had been through so much and eventually had to give it all up so soon. And obviously, she was still fighting. Life has indeed not been kind to her and it seems she's still not dealing with it very well.

Under his arm he felt Imelda's ribcage move as she took a deep breathe.  
"Which reminds me…" Her sudden words startled Hector into pulling his arm back.

"I have to talk to you about tomorrow" she continued. Her posture had changed to something more serious. Suddenly Imelda was ready to take on everything. She put the last of the now clean dishes away before turning to Hector again. He looked at her with full attention, waiting for her to continue.

"Victoria never really accepted her early death. Every year on the same day she arrived here she goes into this… I don't know what to call it. She goes into a state where nobody wants to be around her." Hectors eyes widened. Did he just hear that or did he imagine it? Imelda huffed in response, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She knew what Hector was thinking.  
"She doesn't want anyone else to come close to her either. Believe me, you do NOT want to be near her when she explodes. So please, do yourself and us a favor, stay away from her all day. Not a word to her or the whole family gets it. Understood?"

Hector nodded nervously.

Later that night Hector couldn't seem to find his sleep. He kept turning and twisting between the sheets. Imelda had already given him a few nudges to punish him for keeping her awake with his frantic moving around. But he just couldn't help it. All the things Imelda had told him about his granddaughter today kept stirring in his mind. He couldn't help but feel like she was hurting and that he had to do something. But what? She didn't trust him and she didn't like music one bit. Yet music was all he had. He knew that his family and music had helped him coping with his own early and cruel death. He spend all day observing Victoria with all the patience. And here and there he was able to get some more information about her from the other family members. Everything put together he was wondering how Victoria could even be his granddaughter. They had nothing alike at all. Besides the fact that they were both tall and skinny, they had nothing in common. She liked being alone, calm and silence. He liked being with people, the chaos of fun and laughter and of course, music. Hector groaned, frustrated by the fact his creative was letting him down. He had no possibilities, no way, nothing to work with. No opening to conversation or anything, nothing at all. Eventually exhaustion from all the thinking took over and he drifted off to sleep.

Morning came too early for Hector. He had no idea a skeleton could still be this tired after a bad night. Next to him, the bed was empty. Imelda must've already gotten up early to get breakfast made and open the shop. Hector smiled thinking about his beautiful wife sleeping next to him. He had missed her so much he thought. While his thoughts were with his wife and their past life he got up to get dressed. When he was done he grabbed his guitar, already humming to himself. He headed for the door to meet his family downstairs.

As soon as the door opened he was met with a deafening loud voice that was screaming in anger. He chuckled when he recognized Imelda's voice. Someone must have met her fury he thought as he walked down the stairs. Once he was down he decided it'd be best to wait at the doorstep of the kitchen. Something was off. Imelda was still screaming but nobody was screaming back. This didn't seem right. Carefully Hector peaked around the corner to look into the kitchen and see what was going on. His eyes widened at the scene before him. The whole Rivera family sat at the breakfast table, but none of them were eating. Each one of them had a terrified look on their faces. Imelda stood at the head of the table, screaming, waving her arms, occasionally slamming her fist on the table and tear streaks on her face. Hector had never seen her this furious, not even when he came to her for the first time in the land of the dead, begging for forgiveness. But that wasn't the worst. It was the person she was screaming at.

At the other side of the table, near the door to the living room stood Victoria. She stood tall, chin up, arms crossed, mouth in a thin line and her gaze firmly locked on Imelda. She seemed to be shaking, even though Hector could tell she was trying to hide it. His heart was racing and he wasn't even part of this. He turned his eyes away. What had happened here? Yet all he could think about was poor Victoria. What could she possibly have done to deserve this scolding. And just like that, it had stopped. Carefully Hector looked again to see what had changed. Imelda was leaning on the table, panting from the constant screaming. She still looked like a second eruption could happen at any moment. Quickly he looked at Victoria who broke eye contact with Imelda and turned her eyes towards the ground. Very faintly he swore he could've seen hurt in her eyes before it disappeared again. Her face hardened once more as she turned away towards the living room, closing the door behind her, leaving a speechless and shaken family behind in the kitchen. It was then Imelda's turn to harden herself, standing up, straightening her dress. "Everyone, lets get back to work." She said with a steady but stern voice. As quickly as they could the Rivera's hurried their way out the door towards the shop without saying a word about what they just witnessed. Imelda was now alone, or at least she thought she was. It was finally safe to break down. She sat herself on the nearest chair, putting her head in her hands and wept. Hector could feel his heart break. If there was one thing he hated it was to see his beloved wife this heartbroken. Silently he crept through the door opening towards his wife.

"Imelda..?"

Almost instantly she stood up, back towards him and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I-I'm fine. I'm fine" she said quickly, trying to shake Hector off. She hated it when anyone saw her cry. It was a sign of weakness. And she was not weak.

"Mi amor, let me help you" Hector said as he gently grabbed his loved one's arm and pulled her to him. Imelda felt the need to reject his comforting embrace but at the same time she wanted to be smothered by it. She wanted to be strong but at the same time she wanted to break down in a thousand pieces. In the end, she just allowed herself to be surrounded by Hectors thin and yellowed bones. Hector kissed her forehead before resting his head on hers, rocking her back and forth while humming to her. Imelda didn't care anymore. She was hurt and needed this. Besides, there was nobody around to find them like this. And what if they did, they were husband and wife. If Imelda allowed herself to do so they would be doing this more often.

"Imelda, mi amor, what happened?" Hector finally dared to say something that broke this intimate moment. With that Imelda pushed herself out of his embrace to look at him with an angry yet pained expression.

"As I said yesterday, Victoria has these fits. You don't want to be near when she explodes" she said.

"What?" Hector couldn't believe it. Little quiet Victoria having a fit? It didn't make sense. He pulled Imelda into a chair and set himself in the one opposite of her. "Imelda, I saw you screaming at her. Did you take a good look at her? She looked frightened to me."

"She said awful things about you Hector! I missed you, I love you and I'm hurting too!" Imelda was getting seriously worked up at the fact she was being blamed for all of this. How dared Hector blame her!

"It doesn't matter. Don't you think you should be more patient with her?" He started. Imelda looked at him with guilt. "You said it yourself, she was raised never knowing who her grandfather was. She was taught to hate a man she didn't know all her life. And suddenly we're expecting her to do the impossible. To trust me, let me in her life and to enjoy music. That's not really fair don't you think?" Hectors voice was calm but brought the message to Imelda loud and clear. She didn't like to admit it but knew he was right. She shouldn't have yelled at Victoria the way she did. She should learn to be more patient, especially today on Victoria's death day.

Imelda smiled at her husband, quickly pecking him on what used to be lips.

"You are right. I'm sorry" she said.

They hugged once more before standing up. Hector smiled back, glad his wife was doing better.

"De nada" he replied to her, picking up his guitar again. Heading towards the living room. If there was anything he had learned in his time here it was that Victoria loved nothing more than her books. Maybe he could make a connection between her books and his music, how crazy it might be.

With a gently push Hector opened the door to the living room. This whole thing with Victoria got him an idea. There might be a way to get Victoria to like music. That is if he survived today and didn't meet with one of her so called "fits". Hector had learned at young age that music is the best way to communicate. What words couldn't tell, music could. It's why he loved music so much. When everything and everyone was gone, music was still there. It helped him speak, it helped him cope, it always was the answer to everything. So why not now? He could at least try.

He nervously peeked inside. At first he was surprised to find the living room empty. But as he stepped inside he found Victoria sitting in the window. She had her knees up with a book on top. Her skirt gracefully draped over her legs and over the edge of the window. Hector could only smile as he looked at her. It was hardly noticeable, but the corner of her mouth was slightly pulled up in a smile. Her dark eyes gently rested on the pages of her book. They almost reflected the stories she was reading. She looked so beautiful and peaceful. Hector couldn't find it in himself to disturb her. Quietly he turned to the door to leave.

"What do you want?"

Surprised by the sudden question Hector froze. He looked up at Victoria. They were the only ones here, it must've been her who spoke.

"I…uh…" If only he could find the right words. Still he turned to look at her. When he didn't answer Victoria looked at him from the corner of her eye. Her look was sharp and it made Hector even more nervous than he already was. He started to wish he hadn't entered the living room in the first place. Apparently it took too long for Victoria for him to answer as she turned her eyes back to her book.

He scraped his throat to make an another attempt to answer his granddaughter.  
"Lo siento, I didn't want to bother you."

"You already are. It would make no difference if you stayed or left" Victoria said without looking up from her book.

"So she does speak!" Hector laughed sheepishly at his own joke. He stopped however when Victoria looked at him annoyed. He rubbed his hand behind his neck, thinking of what to say next as to not set off any negative reaction.

"You made it necessary for me to speak" he heard Victoria say.

Hector couldn't help but grin. "I guess I must be special then".  
Why had he said that? As Imelda said, Victoria didn't fall for things like jokes and charm. How stupid of him!

Despite Victoria not looking up from her book he could see her roll her eyes at him. "Especially annoying" was her short response.

Her short but sharp comments reminded him of Imelda. This wasn't the sort of conversation he was thinking of but he wanted to keep it going. Baby steps were still progress. His mind was thinking of things to say to her. Quickly his eyes darted around the room, looking for a subject to talk about. His eyes then fell on the book resting on Victoria's knees.

"What are you reading?" was his question, pointing at the old and worn book. It was clearly used a lot.

Victoria was surprised by the sudden interest. She didn't know if she even wanted to engage in a conversation with this man but still answered his question.

"The Emperor's new clothes" she started "You probably don't know it."

"Are you kidding me? Of course I know it! It's a classic!" Hector scooted over to the couch in the middle of the room, resting his guitar to the arm of it. Victoria didn't really seem to believe him. She had that "yeah-right" look all over her face when she looked at him from her book.

"You read?" She asked.

Hector continued. "Yes, I know the story. It's about an emperor who is too proud to admit his own foolishness. So he trusts the wrong people and eventually gets what's coming to him."

For the first time in months Victoria had her full attention on him. She had put her book aside and looked at him in disbelief.

"You actually know the story."

Hector nodded before speaking again.  
"I like stories. Dramatic ones, romantic ones, funny ones" he paused for a second. "Even sad ones."

It was quite for a few minutes. Hector had the feeling that he finally had something to talk about with his granddaughter. It actually felt really good. After some time had passed Victoria spoke again.

"This is my favorite book. What is your favorite?" Her voice was softer ever so slightly. It was hardly noticeable but Hector noticed. She was getting curious. And Hector wasn't planning on disappointing her.

"Oh that's easy. It's Romeo & Juliet from Shakespeare."

Victoria breathed sharply through her nose and Hector turned to face to young woman in the window.

"That is a ballad, a play!" she started "It's not the same. I should've known. música estúpida." The harsh tone in her voice was back and Hector felt a sinking sensation in his none existing stomach. There had to be a way to explain to her. Suddenly he got an idea.

"You know, books and music have more in common than you think." He smiled in Victoria's direction, though she wasn't returning it.

"Music is a waste of time and a curse! It's nothing like my books" she said, clearly anger building in her throat.

But he wasn't going to let that stop him.

"But they are. Books tell stories on paper. They are silent until someone lays their eyes on the pages" Hector paused a moment, then closed his eyes before he continued as to imagine where he was going. "And once they do, they can travel anywhere. A magic world opens where the impossible becomes the every day. It can be a peaceful journey or full of adventures all while the body stays comfortably in the present." He opened his eyes again to look at Victoria. She had shifted in the window, moved her legs over the side to sit directly towards him. Her eyes had something different that he couldn't quit put his finger on. Something like understanding and comfort about her. He smiled.

"You know, music has these same qualities. They tell stories of all kinds. The only difference being that you don't need to read or even use your eyes. Just listen and feel it in here." Hector placed his hand on his ribcage where his heart used to be. He couldn't help but think about some of the songs he made for his loved ones. Music definitely had its own kind of magic. He turned to face his granddaughter.

"Could I perhaps tell you a story?" He asked her kindly. Victoria seemed surprised at the suggestion.

"I'm not a little girl anymore." She was a bit offended. What was Hector thinking? Still it only made him laugh.

"I hope you will like this one." Hector responded and tapped the spot on the couch next to him. At that Victoria stood up from her favorite spot in the window and sat next to her grandfather, still keeping a bit of distance between them.

Hector sighed, then scraped his throat to start the tale.

"Lonely walks the Bikina and people start to murmur. They say she has a pity, they say she has a pity that makes her cry. Haughty, beautiful and proud, does not allow her to comfort. She goes by wearing his royal majesty, passes, walks and looks at them without ever seeing us. The Bikina has grief and pain. The Bikina does not know love. They say someone has already come and gone. They say that she spends the nights crying for him."

Hector finished and bowed his head in sadness.

"Wow that is… sad" Victoria started, eyes wide from the short but powerful story Hector had just told her. "How does it end?" she asked him curiously.

"The end hasn't been written yet. This is all there is. Only the sad part. Nobody apparently cared about making a happy ending for the woman in this story." Hector said as he looked up at Victoria. She didn't understand, it was just a story right? Why did this make him so sad? Unless…

Victoria swallowed, hesitant to ask about the story.

"This story… It almost sounds like…" She didn't finish. She couldn't finish.

"… It's Imelda's story." Hector finished her sentence for her, confirming her fears. Victoria's mind was racing. It didn't make sense. Hector decided to explain more to her.

"What I just told you is actually a song" he started, making Victoria gasp. "It's a song that was made about Imelda after I left. Imelda always hated it because it focused on both our flaws and never had a happy ending. Even now, nobody wrote an ending." Hector took a deep breath before turning to Victoria. "That is why I'm working on finishing this song myself. And give Imelda the happy ending she deserves."

Victoria couldn't believe what she had just heard. She actually really liked the story, but the fact that it was about her grandmother made it less likeable. Come to think of it, it was actually cruel to make a song like that over somebody else's heart break.

"Is all music like that?" she then asked.

"No, luckily it isn't. Just like there's a lot of different books to read and stories to tell, there's also a lot of different music and songs." He responded.

Victoria stayed silent, turning her gaze to the window again. Minutes passed without either of them saying a word. 

"Why are you here?" she asked out of nowhere. Something in her voice sounded sad or even worried. Hector looked at her but she wasn't looking at him. She was deliberately avoiding his gaze. A little confused at this sudden change of topic he raised his brow.

"I thought you could use some company and I needed a place to wri-"

Hector couldn't even finish his sentence before Victoria interrupted.

"No, I mean, why are you here in the land of the dead?" She was still not looking at him. It kind of bothered Hector that she wasn't looking at him. He wasn't able to read her well enough to know where she was going with this or what her intentions were.

"I was poisoned… by my best friend." He said, an uneasy feeling building in his chest. It wasn't easy to tell just anyone, let alone his granddaughter. He wondered why she would be asking this now though.

Victoria kept silent, continue to stare out the window. No answer came. Did he dare to ask her? No, he shouldn't. He would only upset her.

"Did you.." Victoria started the question, then turned her head to meet his eyes. "… ever regret the choices you made?". Hector suddenly felt uncomfortable. He didn't like where this was going. Now it was his turn to turn his eyes away.

"Yes…. I do. Every day… I should never have left Santa Cecilia. Maybe if I had stayed I would've grown old with Imelda. I would've seen Coco grow up. I could've given her away at her wedding. I could've been there to support her when she gave birth to you and your sister. There would be no music ban, no sad songs about Imelda and all of this hurt wouldn't be here." He felt something wet fall on his hand. In reflex he wiped at his eyes. When his vision was cleared he looked up again to find his granddaughter looking at him. Her hard eyes were nowhere to be found. To his surprise, she had her hand placed on his arm as well.

She looked at him as if though she was trying to find the words but somehow couldn't. She just looked him in the eyes, almost pleading for him to help her get the words out. Hectors fatherly (and musician) instincts kicked in at the mere sight of his granddaughter trapped in her own mind. He put his hand on hers which was still resting on his arm.

"My dear Victoria…" he started. Should he even have started with calling her that. Shrugging it off he continued. "If you can't say it… sing it".

Startled she pulled back. Was she supposed to sing? No no no no she couldn't possibly. Realizing she was shaking now she looked away from her grandfather. Luckily he noticed her discomfort and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay. I know it's difficult. Maybe you should get used to music first" Hector said gently. "But I truly hope you find singing just as enjoyable as your Mamá. It really helps if communicating or expressing your feelings is difficult."

It was surprising that after hating the man for so long Victoria somehow now find herself comfortable in his presence. He had died suddenly at a young age, just like her. And even though she had difficulties expressing herself or communicating, he seemed to have all the patience in the world for her.

Victoria sighed. She couldn't help but to give in to the temptation that was music. She wanted to hear more stories from her grandfather.

"Could you… perhaps play me one of your songs?" she carefully asked.

A wide smile appeared on Hector's face. He grabbed his guitar and strummed it.

"Any requests?"

Hector didn't know how but with that question he actually got Victoria to laugh at him for the first time.

"I don't know any songs." She replied.

"Then I shall play all of them!" Hector almost shouted in happiness. His bony fingers hit some cords as Victoria sat back and closed her eyes. Music being a whole new concept for her but surprisingly she really liked the soft tunes of Hectors guitar. She let her mind drift away in this strange stream of sounds. Victoria especially liked Hectors singing. His voice was soft and kind and gentle.  
Maybe it wasn't so bad to have him around after all.

Later that day the rest of the Rivera's were shocked to find Victoria walking around the house in a more lightly mood. She was occasionally smiling and greeting her family members. But the biggest surprise came when they were all enjoying their evening together. Besides the fact that Victoria decided to join them rather than locking herself up in her room, Hector had finally finished his song that he had been working on and wanted to perform it for his family.

"Thank you all for coming here tonight" he joked. "As you know I've been trying to write some new songs for quite some time now. It took me a while cause I lacked the inspiration. But I recently found my inspiration." Hector smiled shyly at Victoria who sat on the couch next to her Tia Rosita. He breathed deeply before continuing his little speech. "In the past I have written songs for the love of my life and my little girl. But I never wrote anything for my littlest girl."

Victoria's breathe was caught in her throat. She didn't know what to think or to expect. All she wanted right now was to hide away. The only thing keeping her from it was her Abuelito's kind smile.

"This song is for my Vicquita" Hector said before he hit the first cords.

The beautiful calm sound of Hector's guitar was so soothing and sweet. Very different from his energetic and loud songs. He must've chosen for a more gentle rhythm, just like Coco's song "Remember Me". Victoria looked at Hector in anticipation. She was very curious at what kind of story he had figured out for her. She saw Hector take a breath and instinctively held her own, afraid she wouldn't be able to hear his words if she did.

Softly Hector sang with the music he played. Just like always, he got completely caught in the tunes of the strings and the lyrics. Not even noticing what happened before him.

" _If you're with me, then everything's alright"_

Hectors fingers played the last few notes as he finished his eyes had started watering while he played. This song meant just as much to him as "Remember Me". It was not only for his granddaughter but also about her. He looked up from his guitar at Victoria, nervous about what she would think. She wasn't used to music, let alone have a song written in her honor.

His jaw dropped at the sight of his whole family in tears. Every single one of them was touched by the beautiful song. Hectors eyes rested on Victoria. She was heavily sobbing in Rosita's arms. For a second he was afraid he had done something wrong. Until he saw her smile. She was truly touched by his lyrics as well. He turned to Imelda who came up to him, kissing him. "Well done. I have to admit, I no idea how you've done it. But it looks like your music did it again". He felt a blush crawling on his cheekbones. "Thanks to your advice, mi amor."

Victoria didn't know what happened to her. She was always the strong one, she never lost herself like this. But this music, it had her shaking on her knees. Hector… She had been so mean and awful to him. All the while he knew exactly what she was like. He truly knows what she was going through and how she felt. Even more than her mamá or papá, even her Tia Rosita.

"Papá Hector?" a trembling voice spoke.

Hector froze and turned around to the voice that had called him. The whole Rivera clan gasped and looked in shock at Victoria. But Victoria had her gaze on Hector, waiting for his response.

"Wha-what did you call me?" he asked. He was sure his ears were playing tricks on him. Out of all people he didn't expect Victoria to accept him. Hectors eyes grew big as he noticed the corner of Victoria's mouth go up.

"Am I allowed to call you that?" she carefully asked.

Tears started to well up in Hectors eyes again and he couldn't hold back a sob. With the biggest smile he ran over to his granddaughter, putting his arms around her and showered her face with tiny little kisses. Who knew that such a dark day could still become so wonderful.

"Mi niña, mi nieta, mi mija, mi vida!" That was all Hector could bring out. His granddaughter who had kept so distant of him, she called him her papá.

Victoria was hesitant to return the embrace, but eventually did. She was so glad to finally have someone who understood her, who pulled her out of her isolated shell and helped her cope with her unfortunate death. From that day everything would be different. Just like her abuelito had sang, everything would be alright.


End file.
